As houses and apartment buildings become larger, often the distance from a hot water heater to points of end use, such as showers and faucets, becomes longer. As a result, system users may have to wait several minutes for hot water after turning on a faucet or shower. As this is both wasteful of water and annoying to the users, systems have been developed to circulate the water heated by the water heater so that hot water will be quickly available at remote end use points. Unfortunately these recirculating systems often result in water moving constantly through the pipes. Such movement tends to cause unnecessary wear on the pipes through abrasion, resulting in leaks, often in inconvenient locations. The present invention attempts to solve this problem by slowing the flow of water through hot water circulating systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,602, and U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0121557 both by Stroup, are directed to a flow valve, a fixed control device that can be machined to provide a reliable restriction to limit a flow to a predetermined value at a given applied pressure. The flow valve can be used for reliably testing compressors without the need for recalibration between tests. The device has threads at each end for coupling the valve into the compressor test set-up. The valve can be provided with flats at the center portion for engagement by wrenches. The control device is shown with a bore that tapers from a large diameter at the entrance to a smaller diameter at the exit, though an embodiment can be provided with the bore tapered at both ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,744,842, issued to Suverkrop et al is directed to a flow nipple used in oil wells to reduce the flow of oil without causing eddy currents. The flow nipple is a short length of pipe threaded at both ends and has a decreased diameter of the flow path in the pipe. The diameter of the bore is large at each end of the pipe and gradually decreases in diameter toward the center. The decrease in diameter can be any smooth curve like a sine wave. The smooth curve will reduce the flow without causing eddy currents.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,790,463, issued to Delano et al illustrates a flow regulator that can be inserted in the fluid conduits to regulate the flow of a drinking fountain. The flow regulator formed from a single piece has a cylindrical body with external threads formed at each end for cooperation with stand pipe fittings of the proper size. The fluid path through the cylindrical body is a bore that starts out with a tapered feed-in leaving to four consecutive bores with the first being narrow and the subsequent ones of greater diameter. The Venturi-like formation opening into the compartments of increasing size provides a drag or friction on the flow of water, thus eliminating spurting at the fountain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,974, issued to Grohs et al. discloses an apparatus for limiting the volume of fluid flowing from an automotive hose into a heat exchanging device in an automotive heating or air-conditioning system. The restrictor includes a generally cylindrical, hollow body disposed in the hose and a flow limiting washer disposed in the body. The body includes an annular wall having a stepped region of reduced cross-sectional area which receives a hose clamp therein to prevent sliding and rotation of the restrictor within the hose.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,455, issued to Ramirez-Rivera is directed to a fluid flow rate economizing device having a tubular body and a reduction in the inner diameter, suitable to install inside residential, commercial or industrial hydraulic tubing at fluid intakes, meters and/or registers
U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,049, issued to Anderson discloses an abrasive resistant choke assembly. It is especially for use in withstanding the abrasive action of sharp particles of silt and sand that are carried by hot fluids flowing under pressure from producing wells. It includes a choke passage with an inlet end that has an angle of taper of less than 8.degree.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a device to reduce the velocity of water circulating through a hot water circulating system. It is a further objective to provide a device that will reduce wear on the pipes of the circulating system. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a device that is easily installed in existing circulating system. It is yet a further objective of the invention that the device can be properly installed in any orientation and provide the desired functionality. Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide such a device that is readily identified in the system once installed, easily removed, and that can be easily and inexpensively manufactured.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.